Name: Lindsay Galasso Major/minor: Sociology/Early Childhood Education Expected date of graduation: 2015 Hometown: Sandyston, N.J. Activities: Vice president of C3 and public relations chair of Alpha Sigma Alpha Project title: Parental Influences on Language Development in Young Children with and without Hearing Loss: A Longitudinal Investigation Project advisor: Jean DesJardin

During her SOAR project in summer 2013, Lindsay Galasso worked with the House Ear Institute and Indiana University to gain a better understanding of children with and without hearing loss. While her research topic was specific to language development, what she was actually learning was how to be a more complete educator.

“I strongly believe that because of this opportunity I have learned a lot of beneficial information that will help me to be a better teacher,” Lindsay reasons.

During her research project, Galasso studied the institute’s videos of real-life child/guardian interactions during storybook reading. She then transcribed and coded each individual video, which allowed her to interpret and recognize the interactions.

During the study, she observed participants who were between the ages of 12 months and 50 months. The study included both children with and without hearing loss, which gave her the opportunity to observe children on both ends of the spectrum and the developmental differences. It was through the project that the benefits of early intervention and storybook reading came to light for her. Lindsay plans to take this knowledge with her into her own classroom one day.

“SOAR was a great opportunity for me to expand my knowledge, make a connection to understand how to use the concepts I have learned in the classroom, and provide me with a better understanding of what should be known for my future career,” she concludes.